RSA announced today that its SecurID Software Token will be available for Android smartphones, enabling users of the popular mobile operating system with secure, two-factor authentication to enterprise applications and resources using their Android powered device as an RSA SecurID authenticator.
RSA is also releasing a new Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Android platform, designed to allow developers to embed RSA SecurID two-factor authentication directly into Android applications. The SDK is available free of charge for all RSA Secured partners.
Two-factor authentication is based on something a user knows (a password or PIN) and something they have (an authenticator such as a hardware toek or mobile device)—providing a more reliable level of user authentication than passwords alone. The RSA SecurID Software Token for Android generates a one-time password that changes every 60 seconds. Using this one time password along with a users “regular” password or PIN, organizations can enable secure access to corporate resources.
The token is free and can be installed directly onto Android enabled devices via a simple download from Android Market. It does require an existing installation of the RSA SecurID system, however. RSA’s SecurID technology is used by over 25,000 customers worldwide. “The smart phone is revolutionizing the way consumers and commercial organizations are doing business,” noted Mark Diodati, Research Director at Gartner.
“The smart phone will become the default strong authenticator for users in the near-term; it means one less device that the user must carry. It’s important that strong authentication methods like one-time password devices are supported on smart phones, and that developers have an easy way to embed this high-quality authentication method into mobile applications.”
Software tokens helps decrease total cost of ownership for organizations as they don’t require any physical shipping, can be revoked and automatically redeployed if an employee leaves the company, eliminating the need for replacement tokens. Additionally, having the software authenticator on business-critical smart phones reduces the number of costly technical support calls for misplaced tokens.
The RSA SecurID software token for the Android will be available for free download December 22, 2010 from Android Market.